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| '''Daffy Duck''' is an ] character in the ] ] series of cartoons |
'''Daffy Duck''' is an ] character in the ] ] series of cartoons. | ||
| Daffy first appeared in the ] cartoon "]," directed by ]. The cartoon is a standard hunter/prey pairing for which the studio is famous, but Daffy (not more than a bit player in the short) represented something new to moviegoers: an assertive, combative protagonist, completely unrestrained and completely unrestrainable. When audiences left the theaters, they could not stop talking about (as ] put it) "that crazy, darnfool duck." This early Daffy was not a hansome creature. He was short and pudgy, with stubby legs and beak. His voice (patterned after Warners producer ]'s) is about the only part of the duck that would stay with him, and was provided by ]. | |||
| Unlike ] who represents victory. Daffy Duck represents defeat. He is well known for messing up situations that he is in. He appears with Bugs Bunny in a number of cartoons in which Bugs ends up in the advantage. He also appears with ] in a number of parodies of television and movie genres of the ] and ]. | |||
| ] ] immediately seized upon the duck and cast him in a series of cartoons in the ] and ]. Clampett's Daffy was a wild screwball, perpetually bouncing around the screen with cries of "Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo!" Clampett also redesigned the character, making him taller and lankier, and rounding out his beak and feet. | |||
| In his early career Daffy was merely irascible, not unlike ], but Jones's direction revealed a deeper duck. His appearance in '']'' (1953) is accounted a classic of ]. It was the first cartoon to illustrate that a character's personality could be recognized independently of appearance, setting, voice, and plot. ''Duck Amuck'' has been selected for preservation in the United States ]. | |||
| By the early ], director ] tamed Daffy a bit, redesigning him yet again to be rounder, less elastic. The studio also instilled some of ]'s savvy into the duck, making him as brilliant with his mouth as he was with his battiness. This era also saw Daffy teamed up with Porky Pig, the duck's one-time rival now his ]. Daffy would also feature in several war-themed shorts during ]. Daffy stays true to his unbridled nature, however, attempting, for example, to dodge the ] in "]" (]) and battling a ] goat intent in eating Daffy's scrap metal in "]" (]). | |||
| As ] supplanted Daffy as the Warners' most popular character, the directors still find ample use for the duck. Several cartoons placed him in parodies of popular movies and radio serials. For example, "]" (]) places Daffy in a ], while "]" (]) casts the duck in the role of the ]. Another series of cartoons pitted Daffy against the megalomanic would-be conqueror, ]. | |||
| Bugs' ascension to stardom also prompted the Warner animators to recast Daffy as the rabbit's rival, intensely jealous and determined to steal back the spotlight. ] would be the first to use this idea in "]" (]) wherein Daffy's trained pigeon act is played to nothing but crickets chirping in the audience, while Bugs' song-and-dance numbers thrill the spectators. ] would most successfully use the idea. Jones redesigned the duck once again, making him scrawnier and scruffier. In Jones' famous trilogy of "]," "]," and "]" (]-]) Daffy's vanity and excitedness provide Bugs Bunny the perfect opportunity to fool the hapless ] into repeatedly shooting the poor duck's beak off. Jones' Daffy see himself as self-preservationist, not selfish. However, this Daffy can do nothing right that does not backfire on him, singing his tailfeathers as well as his dignity. | |||
| In fact, it is in the cartoons of Chuck Jones, that this new, greedy Daffy became fully realized. Many critics consider Jones' "]" (]) to be Daffy's (and Jones') finest cartoon. In it, Daffy is plagued by a godlike ] whose malicious paintbrush alters the setting, soundtrack, even Daffy himself. When Daffy demands to know who is responsible, the camera pulls back to reveal none other than Bugs Bunny. "]" is widely heralded as a classic of ] for its illustration that a character's personality can be recognized independently of appearance, setting, voice, and plot. The short was selected for preservation in the United States ]. | |||
| After the Warner Bros. animation studio reopened in the ], Daffy would become a true villain in a several ] cartoons. | |||
| ==Quotations== | ==Quotations== | ||
Revision as of 04:16, 16 March 2003
Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Brothers Looney Tunes series of cartoons.
Daffy first appeared in the 1937 cartoon "Porky's Duck Hunt," directed by Tex Avery. The cartoon is a standard hunter/prey pairing for which the studio is famous, but Daffy (not more than a bit player in the short) represented something new to moviegoers: an assertive, combative protagonist, completely unrestrained and completely unrestrainable. When audiences left the theaters, they could not stop talking about (as Porky Pig put it) "that crazy, darnfool duck." This early Daffy was not a hansome creature. He was short and pudgy, with stubby legs and beak. His voice (patterned after Warners producer Leon Schlesinger's) is about the only part of the duck that would stay with him, and was provided by Mel Blanc.
Animator Bob Clampett immediately seized upon the duck and cast him in a series of cartoons in the 1930s and 1940s. Clampett's Daffy was a wild screwball, perpetually bouncing around the screen with cries of "Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo!" Clampett also redesigned the character, making him taller and lankier, and rounding out his beak and feet.
By the early 1940s, director Robert McKimson tamed Daffy a bit, redesigning him yet again to be rounder, less elastic. The studio also instilled some of Bugs Bunny's savvy into the duck, making him as brilliant with his mouth as he was with his battiness. This era also saw Daffy teamed up with Porky Pig, the duck's one-time rival now his straight man. Daffy would also feature in several war-themed shorts during World War II. Daffy stays true to his unbridled nature, however, attempting, for example, to dodge the draft in "Draftee Daffy" (1945) and battling a Nazi goat intent in eating Daffy's scrap metal in "Scrap Happy Daffy" (1943).
As Bugs Bunny supplanted Daffy as the Warners' most popular character, the directors still find ample use for the duck. Several cartoons placed him in parodies of popular movies and radio serials. For example, "Dripalong Daffy" (1951) places Daffy in a Spaghetti Western, while "Robin Hood Daffy" (1958) casts the duck in the role of the legendary outlaw. Another series of cartoons pitted Daffy against the megalomanic would-be conqueror, Marvin the Martian.
Bugs' ascension to stardom also prompted the Warner animators to recast Daffy as the rabbit's rival, intensely jealous and determined to steal back the spotlight. Friz Freleng would be the first to use this idea in "Show Biz Bugs" (1957) wherein Daffy's trained pigeon act is played to nothing but crickets chirping in the audience, while Bugs' song-and-dance numbers thrill the spectators. Chuck Jones would most successfully use the idea. Jones redesigned the duck once again, making him scrawnier and scruffier. In Jones' famous trilogy of "Rabbit Fire," "Rabbit Seasoning," and "Duck Rabbit Duck" (1951-1953) Daffy's vanity and excitedness provide Bugs Bunny the perfect opportunity to fool the hapless Elmer Fudd into repeatedly shooting the poor duck's beak off. Jones' Daffy see himself as self-preservationist, not selfish. However, this Daffy can do nothing right that does not backfire on him, singing his tailfeathers as well as his dignity.
In fact, it is in the cartoons of Chuck Jones, that this new, greedy Daffy became fully realized. Many critics consider Jones' "Duck Amuck" (1953) to be Daffy's (and Jones') finest cartoon. In it, Daffy is plagued by a godlike animator whose malicious paintbrush alters the setting, soundtrack, even Daffy himself. When Daffy demands to know who is responsible, the camera pulls back to reveal none other than Bugs Bunny. "Duck Amuck" is widely heralded as a classic of filmmaking for its illustration that a character's personality can be recognized independently of appearance, setting, voice, and plot. The short was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
After the Warner Bros. animation studio reopened in the 1960s, Daffy would become a true villain in a several Speedy Gonzalez cartoons.
Quotations
- I'm a coward, but I'm a greedy coward.
- I'm not like everyone else--pain hurts me!
- That'ss dissspicable!